3 Review(s)

The concept of University Extension evolved in Trinity College, Cambridge, England, Subsequently, with the establishment of Land Grant Colleges in the USA in 1887, significant efforts in the direction of promoting extension work were made and the extension assumed significance as a frontier for leveraging innovations and technology. In India, during preindependence era, the rural development was mostly undertaken by individuals like Daniel Hamilton's scheme for rural reconstruction (1903), Sevagram approach by Mahatma Gandhi (1920), Gurgaon attempt (1920) by F.L. Bryne, Rabindranath Tagore's work at Shantiniketan (1921), Marthandam project by Spencer Hatch (1921) and a few more. Organized extension services in India began with the initiation of Community Development Program in 1952, and later on much organized Training and Visit System were implemented with focus on single line of command. Presently, pluralistic extension systems comprising public, private, voluntary organizations and individuals play varied roles at different levels. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (CAR) established a section of Extension Education in 1971 which was later strengthened as Division of Agricultural Extension. Frontline extension was initiated as an integral part of agricultural research system in ICAR and Agricultural Universities. ICAR has established a strong extension education system with 721 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (Farm Science Centres) with the mandate of technology assessment and demonstration for its application and capacity development. The role of extension education has been the creation of professional manpower, evolving methodologies and models of program planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation_ and also to act as a platform for innovations and convergence. In this context. Lab-to-Land and Land-to-Lab approach is erucial to look beyond general extension with clarity of role for addressing techno-socio-economic paradigms. Developing science is important but it needs to be integrated with agri-ecosystem, socio- economic environment and technology development. Extension is a kind of soft skill and scientists in this stream having knowledge of agricultural sciences mus assume the role of integrating technology into the varied socio-economic situations so as to increase the production, productivity and profitability for sustainable development. Agricultural Extension Education : Indian and Global Perspective 2. Agricultural Extension Approaches in India 3. Concepts and Principles of Agricultural Extension Education 4. Management of Agricultural Extension Organisation 5. Management of Organizational Behaviour 6. Reaching to the Farmers through Innovative Extension Models 7. Diffusion and Adoption of Innovations in Agriculture 8. Participatory Approaches for Technology Development and Extension 9. Agricultural Extension Education Research : Design and Methods 10. Psychometry in Agricultural Extension Research 11. Monitoring , Evaluation and Impact Assessment of Extension Programmes 12. Elements of Communication for Change and Development 13. Extension Teaching Methods 14. ICT and Knowledge Management in Agricultural Extension 15. Agricultural Journalism and Media Reporting 16. Concepts and Theories of Entrepreneurship Development and Agri - Business 17. Capacity Building : Theoretical Designs and Models 18. Gender , Technology and Nutrition Extension in Agriculture 19. Sociological Perspective of Agricultural Extension 20. Behavioural Psychology for Agricultural Extension 21. Major Agricultural Laws in India 22. Intellectual Property Rights ( IPR ) , Technology Management and Commercialization in Agriculture List of Contributors